Yummy, buttery garlic shrimp is definitely one of my fondest memories of dining in Spain. So rich, so tasty, and so healthy! (Never mind the bit of butter!)

Shrimp is low in calories and saturated fat, and it's very high in protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids. Garlic is a natural antioxidant, and it becomes caramelized and sweeter when sauteed. The best part of all for me is that my extremely picky six-year-old loves it!

Garlic Shrimp is fantastic over rice or pasta or thrown into a salad. You could even add it to an omelet for breakfast! I actually love it best on its own! Yum!

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Serves 4Total Prep and Cooking Time: 5 minutes

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the garlic with the shrimp to evenly coat them.

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large saute pan. Heat the pan with the oil over high heat. Once it's hot, add the shrimp to the pan — you should hear a sizzling sound. If you don't, your pan's not hot enough. Wait until the pan is very hot and listen for the sizzle!

Saute the shrimp just until cooked through, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Add the butter and swirl the pan until it melts, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Some additional notes:

I like smaller shrimp for this recipe — 31 to 40 count/per pound is perfect.

Buying shrimp already peeled and de-veined is more expensive, but I think it's worth the savings in time!

Valentina's passion is food, and she loves spending time in her "kitchen retreat," as she refers to that room in her house. Valentina develops recipes for creative and comforting food that works perfectly for casual entertaining. Both her recipes and food photography have been featured many times on popular food websites and in print. Valentina shares her beautiful photographs as well as new and interesting recipes almost daily on her blog, Cooking on the Weekends.

Outside the worlds of food and photography, Valentina's other passion is her family (including her two young boys, her husband and her puppy, Maple.)

To learn more about Valentina and where her work has been featured, visit her About page at Cooking On The Weekends.